Age of Legends

The Nobility

The Count of Thunland Dell

aldoranth has always been ruled by a king, even when the nation was naught but a tiny city state dwelling at the base of the mighty Hammodrans. As the fledgling nation began to settle its surrounding territories, the monarchy vested local rule over these territories into the hands of strong feudal lords capable of defending his realm. As the territories of these lords grew, they in turn appointed lesser lords to rule over portions of their appointed realms. Thus a feudal hierarchy emerged early on in the nation’s history.

In the centuries that followed, this feudal nobility became further stratified by a system of ranks and titles specifying a given noble’s privileges and standing relative to his peers. The four primary ranks in descending order of priority are: Duke, Count, Baron and Knight. Traditionally the titles of nobility were strictly hereditary, with the exception of Knights of the Order of the Ram, who were granted the status of life peers. However in recent years the upper nobility has begun to grant a host of non-hereditary life titles to military leaders and rich merchants who show themselves to be generous with their wealth. Due to this, currently there is a proliferation of noble titles amongst the nouveau riche merchant class. The lower nobility tend to resent this recent relaxing of the system of ennoblement by the upper nobility, and relations between the arriviste and the lower nobility have become strained.